Times of Refreshing: 7 Days in Acts 3:19نموونە

A Thought Exchange

Let’s read again:

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord. Acts 3:19

Peter, preaching to the assembled crowd after the lame man’s healing, provides clear instructions for finding genuine supernatural refreshment in our lives. The first step is repentance.

Honestly, the word repentance once made me feel terrible. I failed for years at even attempting repentance to remove the strongholds in my life that seemed to sabotage the Holy Spirit’s refreshment. I said I am sorry to the Lord a zillion times over for the same habits and tried to stop doing them but to no avail, except to reap greater guilt.

Instead of Holy Spirit overflow, I felt bad about feeling bad about myself all the time. Can anyone identify with me?

I had forgotten what repentance really means.

Metanoeo Greek–Meaning: From meta a change of place or condition; and noeo to exercise the mind or think. To think and comprehend differently. To undergo a moral change of direction because the mind has changed. Repentance is more tied to the mind (a choice) than mere emotion.

True repentance begins with a transformation in our thoughts—because only then will our actions follow.

Instead of continuing on the path of our self-centered thoughts or the world’s way of thinking, repentance is the surrender and exchange of our thoughts for God’s thoughts. No wonder there are currently many best-selling books regarding the vital necessity of having healthy and sound thought lives.

Where to begin? We start by ruthlessly trusting God’s Word over our lives, feelings, and what we face. Only we can do this for ourselves. However, we can’t do this if we don’t know what the Bible says or what He is saying through it to us personally.

Today and every day, ask God to give you a direct word for your current situations personally from His Word. The Bible calls this a Rhema word, one that is from His heart to yours, powerful in spiritual warfare, filled with healing, and providing guidance Luke 4:4, Eph. 6:17.

Hearing His voice, exchanging my thoughts for His, is the daily door for experiencing times of refreshing in His presence.